From the sedate and somewhat wobbly bicycles of the TV midwives to E.T’s magical but quirky BMX bike, a new book is sure to ring the right bells for cycling, film and history buffs alike.

The first book ever to study the history of the bicycle in cinema examines the parallel development of these two popular technologies of the 19^th century.

Using close readings of a number of films to explore the cultural significance of the bicycle, the book ‘Cycling and Cinema’, combines film history with a history of cycling culture.

The book discusses films that feature bicycles, cycling and cyclists, drawing on examples that range from the Victorian period through to the present.

Beginning with the origins of cinema in the 1890s, the book moves from early documentaries and slapstick comedies through the development of cinema as both an art form and the principal entertainment medium of the twentieth century.

It concludes by examining the emergence of digital screen cultures in the twenty-first century.

“This study of the rich history of cycling on screen will be fascinating not just for film buffs, film historians and serious cyclists but also for any of us who have ridden a bicycle at any point in our lives,” says the author, Dr Bruce Bennett, a Senior Lecturer and expert in cinema studies at Lancaster University’s Institute for the Contemporary Arts (LICA).

“I have written the book with a broader, more general audience in mind and it’s already attracting some interesting feedback.”

The films discussed range from Hollywood blockbusters through to independent art-house films, to documentaries, experimental art-works and amateur videos.

These range from well-known films through to largely forgotten or obscure examples.

To explore international cycling cultures, the book discusses a variety of works from around the world, discussing films from Argentina, Senegal, India, Saudi Arabia, Iran, China, Japan and Australia, as well as from Europe and the US.

It offers a unique exploration of the cultural significance of the bicycle through a detailed examination of the history of representations of cycling on screen.

In exploring the on-screen history of the bicycle, the book also offers an original, unconventional account of cinema history that brings unfamiliar and forgotten films into view alongside well-known titles.

Published by Goldsmiths Press, ‘Cycling and Cinema’ will be officially launched on May 2 at ‘Look Mum, No Hands’, a café-bar, bicycle workshop and event space on Old Street in London.